Asian Literature: Representative Texts and Authors from Asia

Study Notes

Representative Texts and Authors from Asia

Asia has a vast literary tradition, with a scope and length of existence that spans centuries.

East Asia: China

China has an unbroken literary tradition dating back to the 14th century BCE.
The preservation of the Chinese language has enabled the prolonged existence of Chinese literary traditions.
The Tang Dynasty (618-907) is considered the finest era of Chinese literature, with poets like Du Fu, Li Po, and Wang Wei producing renowned literary works.

Du Fu

Du Fu is also known as Tu Fu and is considered by many literary critics to be the greatest Chinese poet of all time.
He wrote the poem "The Ballad of the Army Cats", which is about conscription and features hidden satire that critiques the luxury of the court.

Li Po

Li Po is also known as Li Bai and is considered a competitor of Du Fu as China's greatest poet.
He was romantic in his personal life and poetry, and his works are known for their conversational tone and vivid imagery.
He wrote the poem "Alone and Drinking under the Moon", which deals with the ancient social custom of drinking.

Wang Wei

Wang Wei was a poet, painter, musician, and statesman during the Tang Dynasty, and is considered the founder of the respected Southern school of painter-poets.
Many of his best poems were inspired by the local landscape.

Mo Yan

Mo Yan is a fictionist who won the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature.
His first novel, "Red Sorghum", is still his best-known work, and tells the story of the Chinese battling Japanese intruders and each other during the 1930s.

Yu Hua

Yu Hua is a world-acclaimed short story writer and a champion of Chinese meta-fictional or postmodernist writing.
His widely acclaimed novel "To Live" describes the struggles endured by the son of a wealthy land-owner during the Chinese Revolution.

Korea

Korea's literary tradition is greatly influenced by China's cultural dominance.
Korean poets wrote literary pieces in Classical Chinese poetry as early as the 4th century CE, with transformations happening in the 7th century.
Hangul, Korea's distinct writing system and national alphabet, was developed in the 15th century, giving new beginnings to Korean literature.

Ch'oe Nam-Seon

Ch'oe Nam-Seon is a prominent historian, pioneering poet, and publisher in Korean literature.
He was a leading member of the modern literary movement and pioneered modern Korean poetry.
One of his works, the poem "The Ocean to the Youth", aimed to produce cultural reform and bring modern knowledge to the youth of Korea.

Yi Kwang-su

Yi Kwang-su launched the modern literary movement together with Ch'oe Nam-Seon.
He was a novelist and wrote the first Korean novel "The Heartless", which describes the crossroads at which Korea found itself, stranded between tradition and modernity.

Description

Explore the vast literary tradition of Asia, from its ancient roots to its modern developments. Discover the region's prominent authors and texts that reflect its cultural, religious, and political heritage. Get ready to delve into the fascinating world of Asian literature!